It took over a year to resolve but today the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has officially fined Encore Boston Harbor $40,000 for its second violation related to offering in-state college sports wagers at its brick-and-mortar sportsbook.
The two incidents both took place in February 2023, just weeks after an initial incident that resulted in a $10,000 fine for the property. When speaking to the MGC about the initial incident, the property said the issue was a one-time problem with platform provider GAN and that the matter was fixed.
However, less than a month later, the sportsbook took $163 wagers in wafers on Massachusetts women’s basketball teams on Feb. 15 and another $50 in wagers on a Boston College women’s basketball game on Feb. 19.
The sportsbook says it conducts twice-daily audits with GAN of its college sports betting offerings but that these slipped through the cracks because they were uploaded to the system less than an hour before the games started.
The MGC settled on a $40,000 fine even though the total wagers involved amounted to just $213 because it was a second infraction and to deter further issues from happening in the future.
“Only after the Commission requested additional information from Encore was a cogent explanation and solve for the noncompliance event provided. Despite this being the second adjudicatory hearing on the same type of noncompliance event, Encore did not demonstrate that it had its vendors under control, or that it had even coordinated with them in preparation for the hearing. The Commission expects more of its operators and licensees,” the MGC wrote in its decision.
This is one of several pending adjudicatory issues for the MGC and Massachusetts sports betting operators. The group has yet to rule on some other high-profile incidents, including the Barstool Can’t Lose Parlay and a recent admission by DraftKings that it continued to accept funds from credit card deposits despite there being a ban on credit cards in the state.
